U.S., Iran Running Out Of Escalation Options Over Nuclear Program
With time running out on efforts to monitor Iran's nuclear program, 2013 could well be the year when the United States must decide whether to take military action to block Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency were back in Tehran this week to review Iran's nuclear activities, and once again they came home with little to show for their efforts. The IAEA wants to verify that Iran does not intend to build a nuclear weapon, but the authorities in Tehran have consistently refused to provide inspectors with the access they need to fulfill their mission.
"Differences remain," IAEA Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts told reporters upon his return to Vienna on Friday morning. "We could not ... resolve the outstanding issues regarding possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program."
The IAEA team could not visit the Parchin military site just outside Tehran, where Iran is suspected of having carried out explosives research.
Nackaerts said his team would return to the Iranian capital on Feb. 12 for another round of talks, but experts say the window of opportunity during which the United States or other countries could intervene to block an Iranian bomb is shrinking.
For Now, Enough Time To Intervene
U.S. intelligence agencies say it's not clear whether Iran intends to develop a nuclear weapon. A clear sign would be a move by Iran to begin enriching uranium to the level of purity necessary for a bomb.
So far, the Iranians have not crossed that line. U.S. officials believe it will be evident when they do — the IAEA has cameras installed at most of Iran's enrichment facilities — and Washington will have an opportunity to intervene, perhaps with military strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, as President Obama has implicitly threatened.
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